Parlance

When political operatives of the putative presidential candidate George Bush asked a polltaker for the Republican National Committee to frame a few questions their way, the metaphorical roof fell in: Not only did Bob Dole of Kansas demand to know if the supposedly neutral national committee suddenly had become ''Bush headquarters,'' but a spokesman for former Sen. Howard Baker stormed that any over-$5,000 expenditure by the Bush committee for polling would...

With the economy still tanking, SeaWorld Orlando is rolling out an especially deep discount. The company last week launched a deal in which guests who book three nights in any of nearly two dozen nearby hotels get two extra nights free -- plus unlimited admission for the week to SeaWorld and either its sister water park, Aquatica, or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It's the first time SeaWorld and its sister parks, operated by Busch Entertainment Corp.,...

INDIANAPOLIS -- His success is predicated on failure. The professional loser in boxing is the sport's version of the Washington Generals, those laughable foils for the Harlem Globetrotters, or the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL's sorriest franchise. "Someone has to be the loyal opposition," said Fred Berns, a Midwest-based promoter. "Look at Northwestern and Indiana in the Big Ten. Without them, who would Michigan and Ohio State beat up on?'' Berns has worked closely over the years with a man who has taken the art of losing into a realm of disbelief and profit.

By Dr. Richard T. Bosshardt, Special To The Sentinel, September 14, 2008

This morning, Leesburg's Mark Casp will dip his foot into the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, Calif. About 39 days later, if all goes well, he and nine other stalwart souls ranging in age from 44 to 60 years will take a refreshing plunge in the Atlantic Ocean off Charleston, S.C. Not a big deal, you say? You can fly across the country in about six hours, and you can drive across fairly easily in about six days. But try crossing the continental United States on a bicycle. That's what Mark Casp and his buddies plan to do. Casp is not an elite athlete.

By Harry Straight and Donna Blanton of the Sentinel Staff, May 17, 1987

THERE WERE PLENTY of indications around the Capitol last week that it was budget time, but Rep. Fran Carlton, D-Orlando, probably provided the most graphic evidence. Carlton, who is chairwoman of a House budget subcommittee, no doubt hears numerous requests from legislators who want pet projects in the appropriations bill. Such projects are known as turkeys in legislative parlance. Using a hangman's noose, Carlton attached a huge rubber turkey to the nameplate of her office door. An attached sign explained the bird's presence: ''If you're looking for your turkey, here he is.''

Maybe the United States should buy its textbooks from Japan, too.The scandal of error-riddled school texts that surfaced recently in Texas is an indictment not only of the textbook publishers and authors, but also of the Texas educational bureaucracy. It had approved the texts after - in bureaucratic parlance - its careful review process.A less bureaucratic review by a group of Christian parents, however, revealed 231 errors. Those were not nitpicks. One of the texts proclaimed that Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo; that President Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Korea; that Gen. Douglas MacArthur led the anti-communist campaign (it was Sen. Joseph McCarthy)

I am the owner of a small software consulting company that relies on phone service for a large portion of my business. That's why BellSouth's latest lobbying campaign upsets me. Heavily lobbying both state and federal officials, BellSouth is pushing for repeal of the landmark legislation that has brought competition in local phone service to millions of Americans. In hearings that began last week, BellSouth is pressuring the Florida Public Service Commission to eliminate the very structure that allows competing phone companies to offer local service in Florida.

TORONTO -- In a homily that was more motivational speech than sermon, Pope John Paul II challenged a half-million young Roman Catholics here Saturday to become "a new generation of builders [who] must learn to build, brick by brick, the city of God within the city of man." The three-hour evening service -- called a vigil in Catholic parlance -- is the final warmup event for World Youth Day before today's climactic papal Mass, a service that organizers predict will draw 1 million people.

By Dr. Richard T. Bosshardt, Special To The Sentinel, September 14, 2008

This morning, Leesburg's Mark Casp will dip his foot into the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, Calif. About 39 days later, if all goes well, he and nine other stalwart souls ranging in age from 44 to 60 years will take a refreshing plunge in the Atlantic Ocean off Charleston, S.C. Not a big deal, you say? You can fly across the country in about six hours, and you can drive across fairly easily in about six days. But try crossing the continental United States on a bicycle. That's what Mark Casp and his buddies plan to do. Casp is not an elite athlete.

With the economy still tanking, SeaWorld Orlando is rolling out an especially deep discount. The company last week launched a deal in which guests who book three nights in any of nearly two dozen nearby hotels get two extra nights free -- plus unlimited admission for the week to SeaWorld and either its sister water park, Aquatica, or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It's the first time SeaWorld and its sister parks, operated by Busch Entertainment Corp.,...

Eddie King no longer has the moves that earned him a spot as a fullback for USC in the mid-1960s. But his ability to spot an opening and capitalize on it has earned him millions in another favorite Southern California sport -- home flipping. During the past 30 years, King has bought, renovated and sold -- or "flipped" in real estate parlance -- 60 houses in Los Angeles, Hawaii and elsewhere. Most years, he's sitting on four or five homes worth more than $5 million. It's the kind of success story that inspires daydreams of quick riches among the rest of us. But don't cash in that home equity just yet, warns King.

Federal prosecutors want access to hundreds of urine samples of Major League Baseball players seized in 2003 as part of the BALCO steroid scandal investigation. Authorities had a warrant for 10 players' samples but ended up seizing samples of hundreds of players from three laboratories. Federal judges have prohibited the government from using the samples as part of its ongoing probe of the Bay Area Laboratory-Cooperative, which counted dozens of prominent athletes among its clients, including Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Olympic track-and-field standout Marion Jones.

Closing the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay has suddenly become a hot topic. Since Sen. Joseph Biden Jr., D-Del., broached the idea, the notion has been gaining steam. Over the weekend, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida added the first Republican voice to the chorus, and there were Senate hearings Wednesday on detainee issues. Even President Bush seems to be hinting that he's game. Asked during a television interview whether Gitmo should be shut, the president said, "We're exploring all alternatives as to how best to do the main objective, which is to protect America."

Some arrive crushed and broken, others seemingly intact. Drained of vital fluids and identified by numbers scrawled on their flanks, they are laid out in neat rows to be ripped apart by scavengers until only bare carcasses remain. An open-air morgue? Yes, if you think of an auto salvage yard in terms of the mechanical corpses it contains. But at a self-service lot -- or "U-pull-it," in industry parlance -- body parts aren't the only things available. What's really being sold, although few of the mostly male customers will admit it, are feelings -- of camaraderie, of self-reliance, of the satisfaction of finding a bargain, fixing a problem, fulfilling a quest.

I am the owner of a small software consulting company that relies on phone service for a large portion of my business. That's why BellSouth's latest lobbying campaign upsets me. Heavily lobbying both state and federal officials, BellSouth is pushing for repeal of the landmark legislation that has brought competition in local phone service to millions of Americans. In hearings that began last week, BellSouth is pressuring the Florida Public Service Commission to eliminate the very structure that allows competing phone companies to offer local service in Florida.

INDIANAPOLIS -- His success is predicated on failure. The professional loser in boxing is the sport's version of the Washington Generals, those laughable foils for the Harlem Globetrotters, or the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL's sorriest franchise. "Someone has to be the loyal opposition," said Fred Berns, a Midwest-based promoter. "Look at Northwestern and Indiana in the Big Ten. Without them, who would Michigan and Ohio State beat up on?'' Berns has worked closely over the years with a man who has taken the art of losing into a realm of disbelief and profit.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper may be the biggest quarterback around, but he enjoys doing the little things, contrary to popular opinion and scouting reports. What the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Culpepper enjoyed doing most to the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday in a 20-16 victory was "dinking them to death." Blessed with a big arm, Culpepper turned into a dinker and a thinker Sunday, hitting the Bucs with short passes and sudden patience to save the Vikings' season. "I can play this way. It's just that nobody believes it," Culpepper said.

"Hi, George," says the upbeat voice of Air Force Maj. Oscar Duke in a taped message to the oldest of his four sons. "You're the No. 1 boy. In the Far East they number the boys," Duke explains to the 14-year-old before going on about baseball and piano lessons. Then Duke addresses his other sons. To Allan, 12, he mentions the boy's new archery and chemistry sets. He talks to Brian, 11, about the progress on his backyard fort. And in a sing-songy voice to 6-year-old Kevin, he talks about his being "a big first-grader next year," adding, "You be a good boy and help your mother."

TORONTO -- In a homily that was more motivational speech than sermon, Pope John Paul II challenged a half-million young Roman Catholics here Saturday to become "a new generation of builders [who] must learn to build, brick by brick, the city of God within the city of man." The three-hour evening service -- called a vigil in Catholic parlance -- is the final warmup event for World Youth Day before today's climactic papal Mass, a service that organizers predict will draw 1 million people.

"Hi, George," says the upbeat voice of Air Force Maj. Oscar Duke in a taped message to the oldest of his four sons. "You're the No. 1 boy. In the Far East they number the boys," Duke explains to the 14-year-old before going on about baseball and piano lessons. Then Duke addresses his other sons. To Allan, 12, he mentions the boy's new archery and chemistry sets. He talks to Brian, 11, about the progress on his backyard fort. And in a sing-songy voice to 6-year-old Kevin, he talks about his being "a big first-grader next year," adding, "You be a good boy and help your mother."